The Simon Wiesenthal Center said Monday that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was placed at the top of the list “because of his continuous calls for Israel’s annihilation even during the announcement of the interim nuclear agreement.”

The annual list released by the center exposes Jew-hatred by
government leaders, movements, and cultural elites who are influential,
have impact, and wield real power.

“Throughout 2013, as the US conducted secret talks with Tehran, the
Ayatollah’s anti-Semitic and anti-Israel hate flowed unabated,” said
SWC, adding, “On the eve of Iranian elections, Khamenei declared,
‘Zionists’ were the real power in the United States, updating the old
canard of a global Jewish conspiracy.

The #2 spot on the list was taken by Turkey’s Prime Minister, Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, who in 2013 continued his verbal attacks on Israel,
including blaming the Jewish State for the Gezi Park protests. Erdogan also fingered Israel as for being responsible for the Egyptian military’s ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

In next spot on the SWC list one can find Richard Falk, the United Nations’ human rights expert who has a history of anti-Israel statements.

This year, Falk said that if renewed peace talks between Israel and
the Palestinian Authority (PA) fail, the UN General Assembly should turn
to the International Court of Justice and seek an opinion on “the legal
consequences of Israel's occupation of land claimed by the
Palestinians."

“The situation in Israel/Palestine, with the occupation, the ethnic
cleansing and the systematic racist apartheid Israeli regime is
unacceptable,” Waters, who has previously faced criticism for virulently
anti-Israel statements, said in an interview earlier this month.

Iranian supreme leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that Israel is a "regime doomed to
collapse." His threats come as the latest round of talks over Iran's
nuclear weapons program is being held in Geneva.

AFP reports that Khamenei told commanders of the Islamist
Basij militia force in Tehran: "the Zionist regime (Israel) is a regime
whose pillars are extremely shaky and is doomed to collapse."

Responding to Israeli concerns over Iran's nuclear weapons program,
Khamenei called Israel "the rabid dog of the region" and claimed
Israel poses a threat to the world, not Iran. The Basij crowd responded
with cries of "Death to Israel" and "Death to America."

Perhaps in response, Khamenei said "the title of human is not worthy
of the leaders of the Zionist regime," adding that the Iranian response
to a military action would be "a slap in the face they will never
forget."
Khamenei further said in a live state television broadcast that
"any phenomenon that is created by force cannot endure," referring to
Israel's numerous defensive wars fought to ensure the country's
existence.

This is not the first time Khamenei has made threats or attacks on Israel.

In early November the supreme leader of Iran called Israel an "illegitimate and bastard regime," and further called the US a "smiling enemy" that is not to be trusted.

The statements reveal a deep-seated animosity that raises further
doubts about the ongoing talks in Geneva aimed at reaching an agreement
over Iran's nuclear program.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has been a vocal opponent of the program,
noting that proposals risk easing sanctions on Iran and leaving the
Islamic regime at "breakout capacity." If that were to happen Iran could
turn its reactors back on and produce a nuclear weapon whenever it
chooses.

Amid disagreement with US President Barack Obama's administration over the nuclear talks, Netanyahu on Wednesday took off for last minute talks in Russia with President Vladimir Putin to try and explain Israel's concerns.

International sanctions have been crippling Iran through an ongoing
diplomatic effort to block the country's pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Concerns have been raised that the sanctions may be lifted in the Geneva
talks without Iran's program being dismantled.

Regarding the sanctions, recent reports revealed that despite his
country's economic suffering, Khamenei controls a business empire worth $95 billion, which is more than Iran's current annual oil exports.

Remarks on Iranian government website denounce State of Israel, blame American "indulgence."

By Tova Dvorin
11/3/2013

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attacked Israel and the
US in remarks on his state-backed website today (Sunday), firing at
Israel's supposed "illegitimate and bastard" regime and labeling the US alliance with Israel as an alleged "indulgence."

"The Americans have the highest indulgence toward the Zionists,"
Khamenei stated, "and they have to. But we don't share such
indulgence[s]." Khamenei further referred to the US as a "smiling enemy"
who is not to be trusted for leaving the option of a US and Israeli strike on Iran in the event of continued nuclear weapons development.

This is not the first time Khamenei has attacked Israel with verbal force. In a speech last year, the dictator called Israelis "ferocious Zionist wolves who digest the Palestinian people."

Today, Khamenei's inflammatory remarks follow reports that he has been in ill-health. Arabic media sources have noted that the usually highly public leader, now 74, has remained in seclusion for over three weeks, leading to speculation about Iran's future.

Further reports of a possible change in leadership have been brought
this week by United Nations watchgroup the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA), which reported that Iran may be willing to engage in negotiations with world leaders regarding its controversial nuclear program.

Regarding the official UN negotiations, Khamenei has reportedly said that he is "not optimistic" and that "the country should rely on itself."

No official Israeli response has been issued yet regarding the claims.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who decided to attend the summit in Iran despite a wave of protests calling
on him to boycott the event, remained seated throughout the duration of
the speech, refraining from showing opposition to the outwardly hateful
remarks.

In comments made prior to the beginning of the summit, Ban said that
he "strongly rejects threats by any member state to destroy another or
outrageous attempts to deny historical facts such as the Holocaust,"
without explicitly mentioning Iran.

“Claiming that Israel does not have the right to exist or describing
it in racist terms is not only wrong but undermines the very principle
we all have pledged to uphold,” Ban said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently called the summit, which
drew more than 120 countries to Iran, “a disgrace and a stain on
humanity.”

Amid backlash, the UN felt compelled to
release a statement to the media Wednesday justifying the Ban Ki-moon’s
attendance at the international summit.

The “Secretary-General conveyed the clear
concerns and expectations of the international community on the issues
for which cooperation and progress are urgent for both regional
stability and the welfare of the Iranian people,” the statement read.

During his meeting with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Ban Ki-moon “thanked” the Iranian leader for the invitation to the NAM Summit.

“On the nuclear question, the
Secretary-General said he has been following closely Iran’s talks with
the P5+1,” the statement said, referring to the five permanent members
of the UN Security Council plus Germany. “He said he regretted that
little tangible progress has been achieved so far during these intensive
talks and that the talks needed to be serious and substantive.”

“He said that Iran needed to take concrete
steps to address the concerns of the International Atomic Energy Agency
and prove to the world that its nuclear program is for peaceful
purposes. He said that there is no alternative to peaceful, diplomatic
and negotiated settlement which should be reached step by step and based on reciprocity,” the statement continued.